ARTISAN PROFILE

EMILY

April 7, 2017

Emily is a self-taught artist and widow who lives in Nairobi, Kenya in the slum of Kibera. She lives in a one-room mud and stick house with 13 children. Eight of the children are hers and five are her sister's children. Her sister died of AIDS, and three of her children are also infected. Emily is HIV+ as well. Aid programs provide free anti-viral drugs to fight the disease, but the drugs are strong and make Emily and the kids tired and weak. Providing food for her family is difficult, but Emily uses her income from making baskets to support her family. She relies on her faith in God to carry her through the hard times.